Posted by Brian A. on October 21, 1999 at 11:42:14:
There has been a lot of discussion regarding these tests lately so I have done a bit of research and put the information below. I know it will not answer all the questions, but it should help.
Swamp Fox II was conducted near Chepo, Panama from August 25 through November 1, 1962 to test the jungle maneuverability of various wheeled and tracked vehicles. The test included forty military and commercial off-road vehicles (twelve tracked and 28 wheeled) and consisted of four courses with differing terrain types likely to be encountered in tropical regions. There were several vehicles included in the test that would be of particular interest to the readers of this forum; a mule (M-274) with terra tires, two M-151's (one standard & one with 36"x20"-14R tires), an M-37 (with power assisted steering and 14.00x18 NDCC tires), a FC-170 Willy's, a Unimog Model S Type 404, a WM300 (with power assisted steering and 46"x18"F,24"R-16R tires), three W300's (one gas, 125 hp, two diesel, 97 hp, all single cab flatbeds with the same tires as the WM300), an M-34 (with power assisted steering and 14.75x20 tires) and a standard M-35.
One of the primary reasons that the Dodge trucks were used so heavily was that in Swamp Fox I (I also have a copy of that test report) the only wheeled vehicle to complete the course was a WM300 with terra tires. The technical data provided in the report regarding the W300's includes; unloaded wt - 6,800 lbs., payload - 2,400 lbs., length - 18'9", width - 7'9", height - 7'6", ground clearance - 14.5", steering - Ackerman w/ power assist, max. speed - 55mph, tire size - 46x(18F & 24R) - 16R, soft soil tire pressure - 3 to 6 psi, average ground pressure - 5.4 psi, engine hp - 125(gas) 97(diesel), transmission - manual 4 spd. w/ 2 spd. transfer, suspension - rigid axle, differential - non-locking, winch - 10,000 lb.. The data given for the WM300 was virtually identical other than weight - 6,300 lbs., length - 17'8", width - 9'1/2" and height - 7'1", the engine was also gas powered and rated at 125 hp.
For some other background, Swamp Fox II was the third in a series of tests conducted in Panama regarding vehicle maneuverability in tropical conditions. There was also another test conducted near Ft. Eustis, Virginia in 1961 regarding cross-country maneuverability in which Dodge provided a similarly modified W200. As soon as I can scan in a picture or two they will be available to those interested.